How defeated Southampton made a big point at Anfield

Southampton’s manager Ronald Koeman has talked up his side’s chances this season (Picture: AP Photo)

Southampton may not have taken any points from the Premier League opener at Anfield on Sunday, but they certainly made one.

With the build-up to the season littered with the opinions of the football media, professional pundits and so called experts, on the whole predicting doom and gloom for Saints, many even suggesting relegation their opening performance will have sent a clear message.

Just as Ronald Koeman suggested in the pre-match interviews, ‘if you are going to bet money on Southampton going down, be prepared to lose it’.

The fans were perhaps not as confident as the manager, and most expected a tough start on Merseyside, but were more than pleasantly surprised.

Despite a slow start, they grew into the game and more than matched their hosts, new boys Ryan Bertrand and Dusan Tadic formed a formidable partnership on the left hand side, and a combative man of the match performance from Victor Wanyama in midfield had the reds reeling.

Dusan Tadic had an excellent debut at Anfield (Picture: Reuters)

Serbian playmaker Tadic showed just why Koeman wanted to bring him from the Eredivise, his skill and guile more than filling an Adam Lallana shaped hole. It was Tadic in fact that stole the show, his perfectly executed backheel sent Nathaniel Clyne through on goal for the equaliser, making a complete mug of Dejan Lovren in the process.

If there was one major factor that separated the club from those at the top of the table last season it was a lack of lethality in front of goal and that is yet to change. While Liverpool showed their class when given clear chances through Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge, Steven Davis and then Shane Long missed golden opportunities that might have seen the visitors take one, or even all of the points.

It was a very good opening performance, in what will be one of the season’s toughest fixtures, and in reality it didn’t deserve to result in no reward; in fact it may have been the Liverpool supporters who left the more bewildered.

The game might have ended in defeat but it left the Saints fans in buoyant mood, confident in the abilities of the new look squad and the manager who has assembled it.

With more new faces likely to come in before the transfer deadline, it could be argued that we actually now have a stronger squad than last season, but don’t let that put you off the tales of ‘meltdown’ and jokes about not being able to field a team. Keep on writing us off experts, we’ll be just fine. Bring on West Brom!